Reading 3: “The Impromptu That Trod on a Loaf: or How Music Tells Stories” Discussion Questions.
Reading 3: “The Impromptu That Trod on a Loaf: or How Music Tells Stories” Discussion Questions.
Link to the recording/score:
- On p. 25, McClary articulates four tonal archetypes that are found in common practice music c. 1700 to c. 1900. What are they? Which one does Schubert adopt in this impromptu, and why is it surprising?
- Which note—sometimes spelled enharmonically—does McClary identify as the pivotal connection between tonic minor and the key of B minor in the B section?
- How might the events of Schubert’s life be reflected in the tonal scheme of this impromptu?
- Does McClary offer an alternative reading to this personal narrative for the composer and, if so, what is it?
- What does she see as the connection between this Schubert Impromptu and Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Little Girl Who Trod on a Loaf”?
- To what does she compare the loaf in music?
Reading 3: “The Impromptu That Trod on a Loaf: or How Music Tells Stories” Discussion Questions.
